Investigation on the mechanical strength of magnetic hollow silica prepared from Pickering emulsion route

In this paper, a one-pot sol–gel method was used to synthesize magnetic hollow silica through Pickering emulsion route. The mechanical strength of as-prepared magnetic hollow silica was adjusted and investigated. It was found that the emulsion droplet in Pickering emulsion was solely stabilized by cetrltrimethylammionium bromide (CTAB)-modified Fe3O4 particles while the silica source originally dispersed in oil phase was hydrolyzed at the emulsion droplet interface. This led to the formation of silica that then coated on the interface of the emulsion droplet to create magnetic hollow silica after being washed and dried. Controlling the hydrolyzing rate and degree of silica source and enhancing the binding force between silica and Fe3O4 nano particles can improve the mechanical strength of magnetic hollow silica.